3D printing...

[Neilwood]

short version;
If you enjoy the making side of it as a hobby, cost of entry can be under $500 USD and is well worth it.
If you don't enjoy the tinkering, farm out your requirements to those of us who do.
Long version;
My experience is that 3d printers are very much a hobby... They require some tinkering with settings and such on a regular basis. If you enjoy the whole hobby they are great. In terms of cost effectiveness... Iffy. I have printed enough usefull things that they are worth more than my investment in the printer, however many are things that I would not have bought. I have caps on the inlet plugs of all the 2nd stages I've rebuilt, but am not currently using... Over $100 worth of caps and plugs if I bought them. But I wouldn't have bought them.
Where the having a 3d printer shines is when you start to learn the design side and create 1 off parts, or the replacement for that "out of production" piece you need. Some one asked me about a one off that they needed yesterday morning.... I'm a nerd, so the prototype goes in the mail to him today. It's a cool feeling seeing what was in your mind translated to plastic without going through anyone else.
Respectfully
James

I get what you are saying about the feeling. That is what prompted me to get some parts printed up by a company - I had an idea for something, sketched it up in Fusion 360 and uploaded it. 1 week and £20 (about $25) later, I have the parts.

I can justify it to myself but getting SWMBO to agree to it and moving things around to fit it in is an entirely different matter...

It appears from something I have read that there might be a 3d printer at one of the local libraries but I will have to investigate that a bit more.

 

[The Ruttmeister]

I get what you are saying about the feeling. That is what prompted me to get some parts printed up by a company - I had an idea for something, sketched it up in Fusion 360 and uploaded it. 1 week and £20 (about $25) later, I have the parts.

I can justify it to myself but getting SWMBO to agree to it and moving things around to fit it in is an entirely different matter...

It appears from something I have read that there might be a 3d printer at one of the local libraries but I will have to investigate that a bit more.

Service bureaus have gotten really cheap and easy to use these days, if you only want one or two things its a much simpler and cheaper way to go.

I was fortunate enough that my wife let me take up a large percentage of our tiny apartment with my 3D printer, which ended up getting quite out of hand.
But if you can design stuff in CAD, that's the biggest hurdle. Learning to use a 3D printer and how to design for its constraints takes time, but its not rocket science. If it becomes an obsession, then you might find some persuasive arguments

I just need to figure out how to get the space and justify the cost of building my own tiny milling machine now...

 

[WarrenZ]

You guys are dangerous I now know where my local makers space is I might just have to become a member.

 

[emoreira]

3D printing has the power to revolutionate the spare parts landscape.
Many spares are not sold by manufacturers or are sold as a kit with parts that are not needed. Many equipments have to be discarded because a broken part is not sold as spare.
A little inventive, a few hours in a PC designing a part and a few more hours waiting the part to be printed and the equipment is back to life. A wonderful combination.
Not everything is repairable, not everything can be printed in a 3D printer, buy at least a lot can, and this is a lot more than a few years ago.
I love the process. From a need to a physical part, the journey is a wonderful creative path, that also makes your brain leave the lethargy.
3D printing is a tool, like a hammer or pliers. I see a lot of people with a 3D printer asking what to print or printing nice little nonsenses. I love repairing things, and repairing scuba things is paramount.
I had a need. I found the answer.

 

[James79]

Of course, when all you have is a hammer... Everything looks like a nail! Part of my journey with 3d printing was learning when it's not the right tool for the job. Of course, now I just want to get the right tools for those jobs! (CNC router and a lathe?)
James

 

[kelemvor]

Of course, when all you have is a hammer... Everything looks like a nail! Part of my journey with 3d printing was learning when it's not the right tool for the job. Of course, now I just want to get the right tools for those jobs! (CNC router and a lathe?)
James

I've been coveting lathes and mills myself. Unfortunately the ones that seem to be close to my price range get reviews such as "crap" and "complete garbage" and "not worth the space it takes in a landfill" etc. So I do what I can with my printer and manual efforts.

 

[emoreira]

I've been coveting lathes and mills myself. Unfortunately the ones that seem to be close to my price range get reviews such as "crap" and "complete garbage" and "not worth the space it takes in a landfill" etc. So I do what I can with my printer and manual efforts.

Same here. I always wanted to have a lathe, but space required and cost are prohibiting me. Besides if I could ever have a lathe I would also need a mill, and then, then and then ....

 

[moose_grunt]

My 4S3P battery holder for an Underwater Can light is progressing right along. I made a number of mods to the files to get them fitting tighter and to allow me to lock them together. For that I had to increase my CAD skills, which was fun and last night I ran a 10 hour print with 3 walls and 99% infill. This morning I started assembling:

View attachment 537331

Bottom battery contancts installed. Clips and connector in place with holes aligning.
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View attachment 537332

Upper flange showing 4mm holes for wire mangement and 6-32 tapped holes.
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View attachment 537333

Alignment is critical for the 1.75mm holes to align and to get the positives with the negatives.

​

Also to bring this one back, how did you get along with the battery holder? What model canister was that for? I've got an old DR 10W HID slimline that I'm thinking about doing the same thing for, to use single cell 18650s instead of dealing with a custom battery pack. Curious to see how you got along.

Jim

 

[The Chairman]

Jim, I got a good ways, but I need to change to ABS for durability. I've been increasing my knowledge and understanding of 3D printing and I think it's time to tackle ABS. Probably after I install the Fuet II into my printer.

I did print, and it did work, but a couple of the fins broke while changing batteries. I had other projects that were more critical, and still do. It will be another month or three before I can revisit this.

 

[emoreira]

Jim, I got a good ways, but I need to change to ABS for durability. I've been increasing my knowledge and understanding of 3D printing and I think it's time to tackle ABS. Probably after I install the Fuet II into my printer.

I did print, and it did work, but a couple of the fins broke while changing batteries. I had other projects that were more critical, and still do. It will be another month or three before I can revisit this.

I'm almost no longer printing with PLA. I'm only printing silly things just because the filament is there. For all parts I'm printing with ABS or PETG or with FLEX when needed. I use PETG when I need strong inter layer adherence.
I've tweaked (and learned) my Creality Ender-3 to print ABS with the required quality.